A/N: I'm very sorry if this chapter seems rushed. I wanted to get it out before I left on vacation, so I didn't leave you guys hanging for two weeks. Consider yourself lucky you got this when you did; it was a lot of work in little amount of time!
By the way, it's extra long, just for you guys!
~*~
If possible, time was ticking by slower than it ever had before. And it wasn't the type where one would keep glancing at the clock, waiting for a certain time to come anxiously. No, this was just one dreadfully long afternoon that seemed to be going nowhere anytime soon.
It was probably because Ginny and Blaise had put the sphinx to sleep so quickly. It could also have been because neither Draco or Harry were in the cabin with them, and Blaise was in another one of her moods where all she did was mope and talk to no one.
Ginny assumed it was because of Harry, based on the story she'd heard earlier. It was almost humorous, though she'd never say so to Blaise. Picturing Harry sprawled back on the floor and Blaise shocked in her bed was a sight Ginny could hardly keep herself from giggling at.
The sun was beating don through the window, warming Ginny's pale skin. Glancing outside, she saw that there was only one group still struggling with their sphinx blocking their doorway. She pitied them; it must have been nearly four hours already.
Glancing around at the surroundings, Ginny finally gave their camp a good look. Ever since she'd arrived, it had been a rush, with all the tasks and then Draco's father dying. The sand on the ground was absolutely still. She remembered that the day before there had been a slight breeze, and wished it would come back to circulate the air a little better. The humidity was almost intolerable.
She stripped off her robes, wearing only a tank top and shorts underneath. This had to be one of the hottest places she had ever visited.
Besides being in the middle of nowhere, their camp was actually quite nice. The cabin Ginny was residing in was at the very back, giving her a view of everyone else's. She could see students lying around lazily in the heat, some writing letters or playing wizard chess, while others were just napping.
Suddenly a loud clacking noise filled the small cabin, and Ginny turned to see Blaise angrily pounding away at the keys on her laptop.
She assumed her friend to be writing about her incident with Harry; about how stupid she was for doing what she did, and how she would never forgive herself. She knew Blaise always kept a log of things that happened to her, and most of them were pretty angst filled. She just wished that Blaise wasn't so hard on herself. It was just as much Harry's fault as it had been Blaise's.
Getting rather bored, Ginny followed Blaise's trend, pulling out her lately neglected computer. She could always resort back to stupid card games, like she'd done in the past when she was feeling down.
-
Even though Harry was supposed to be the epitome of honesty, bravery, and trust, sometimes his curiosity got the better of him, and he just couldn't control himself. As was how he felt at the very moment, alone in his cabin.
Draco's bed was empty, just like it had been for the passed twenty-four hours. Not that Harry minded much, because he didn't enjoy Malfoy's company. What was bothering him, though, was the laptop that was sitting on top of the unmade bed, propped open and beeping wildly.
In all the confusion of the funeral, Draco had forgotten to put it away, and up until now Harry had successfully succeeded in ignoring it. He really had no interest in computers, anyway.
But this computer, it was different. It was Draco Malfoy's, and it was beeping like crazy, almost as if calling out to Harry to come and give it a little peek.
He assumed it was an enchanted computer, not a regular muggle one like Dudley had. He new it was enchanted because the beeping grew louder, and shriller, the longer it was left sitting. He even swore he saw it bounce up and down a few times, as though telling who ever was watching that it had something urgent waiting on the screen.
Turning away, Harry tried to distract himself. He'd taken Draco down to the main cabin to see one of the Professors hours ago, and they said he'd most likely have to stay the night until he was back to full health in the morning. Harry knew he wouldn't be returning any time soon, and he really couldn't sleep or do anything with all that racket going on from Draco's side of the room…
He could just take a quick look to find a way to stop the beeping, that's it. He wouldn't mess with anything or play around with Draco's files, of course not.
Hopping up off his bed, Harry casually sauntered over to the pesky computer. Going against everything he'd just told himself, he took a seat behind it on Draco's bunk.
There was a single window up on the monitor, with several messages from someone named 'Firefly'.
The name struck him as familiar, and he racked his brain as to where he'd heard it before. Then, Harry smacked himself in the forehead. Of course! That was Ginny's nickname; nearly all her older brothers had been calling her that since she was a little girl.
It must be Ginny who's sending Draco these messages, he thought. Suddenly Harry realized that he had no intention of following his own ground rules. He went ahead and read the messages on the screen, curiosity getting the best of him once again.
Firefly: Hey!
Firefly: Did Harry being you your laptop to keep you busy when you're not feeling well? How sweet of him.
Firefly: Ice, are you there?
Firefly: Well, maybe you're asleep. I suppose I will just wait until you wake up then, I have nothing better to do. Blaise is being really moody so I can't talk to her.
Firefly: [bored]
Harry, deciding to go against every ounce of conscience in him, started typing a response to Ginny. He was not very quick on the keyboard, he soon realized.
IceyGaze: Hi, Ginny, I'm awake.
Firefly: Ginny? Since when do you call me Ginny online?
Harry knew he'd made a mistake, and that they had some kind of nicknames for each other on their computers. It surprised him, though, how outgoing Ginny seemed when she thought he was Draco. Her whole life she'd been so shy and closed off around Harry, even though he figured it was because of her old crush.
Momentarily he wondered what it would be like if she still had a crush on him. Then he remembered Blaise, remembered their episode this morning, and decided he was glad that Ginny was no more than a friend, however much this thing with Blaise confused him.
Blocking it immediately from his mind, he started typing a message back to Ginny. She was probably waiting anxiously on the other end. He tried to think of something Draco would say. Strangely, he couldn't think of anything, because he assumed Draco wouldn't insult Ginny, and that's all Harry knew of him.
IceyGaze: I still must be tired from getting hit by that spell, sorry.
Firefly: You're acting strangely.
Harry gulped. She was on to him already?
Firefly: Although…you're acting a bit nicer than usual. Maybe you should stun yourself more often! [wink]
Sighing in relief, Harry scolded himself for being paranoid. She was just being… flirty. As hard as it was for Harry to picture Ginny Weasley flirting, he suddenly felt a bit more secure in his position. Talking online was great; she couldn't see who it was so Ginny just assumed she was talking to Draco!
IceyGaze: Am I mean to you?
Harry couldn't help himself. This friendship between Malfoy and Ginny worried him a little bit. He was such a heartless git, and Harry didn't want to see Ginny getting hurt. Although he knew the question probably sounded odd to Ginny.
Firefly: [rolls eyes] Just because you got hurt, you want me to boost your ego?
IceyGaze: Er…yes?
Firefly: Ice, don't be silly. Of course you're not mean to me. You're wonderful, and I'm so glad we're going to start telling people. I really really am.
Confusion halted Harry's fingers above the keys. Tell people what?
IceyGaze: Tell people what again?
Firefly: What??? About us, silly!
He didn't reply for a minute. The way Ginny said us, and the way she was talking, it made Harry's fears become realized.
Ginny was in love with Draco. And he could only imagine that Draco felt the same way. All this time he'd been convincing himself that they were just friends, that Ginny only hung around Draco because he was a friend of Blaise's or something… but now he knew the truth.
And surprisingly, t didn't anger him at all. It made him feel better about himself, because-
His thoughts were cut off by another message from Ginny.
Firefly: I'll be back in a minute, all right? Blaise is driving me insane with all of her moping, and I am going to go see if I can talk to Harry.
The boy who lived was still hunched over the screen reading her message when Ginny burst in the room.
Quickly she looked at Harry, and down at Draco's computer, and then back up to Harry's now very guilty looking face. He really hadn't planned on this happening.
Ginny's face was turning tomato red, and Harry could see her fists clenching.
"I cannot believe you, Harry Potter." She whispered, finally piecing all the clues together to figure out what had happened.
He suddenly realized this was the second sticky situation he'd been in that day, where he didn't have much of an explanation as to what in blazes he was doing. He momentarily thanked Merlin that he wasn't upsetting Blaise again. He still felt terrible about that.
Deciding to get in one pitiful attempt to make peace, Harry asked meekly, "What was it you wanted to ask me about Blaise?"
This comment seemed to ensure Ginny that she was right in her suspicions, and she let out an angry yelp. "How could you pretend to be my boyfriend?"
The minute the words crossed her lips, Ginny's eyes widened in embarrassment. "I mean… my friend. How could you pretend to be Draco? It's sick, and… and so not Gryffindor!"
Harry smirked. "And dating a Slytherin is?"
"He's… not my boyfriend." Her face reddened distinctly when she said this.
"I don't think Draco would be too happy about you saying that. I thought you were telling people?"
Hearing Harry quote their conversation again only made Ginny angrier. "Well what about you? That's kind of hypocritical to say, being as you kissed a Slytherin today."
It was Harry's turn to blush. "How do you know about that?"
"Let's see… from Blaise?" Ginny rolled her eyes. "What's going on with you two, anyway? Blaise is upset and wont talk about it."
"That's just it, Ginny. Nothing is going on. We had a mix-up this morning and there is nothing more too it." Harry though he lied pretty well.
He was wrong. Seeing right through his words, Ginny looked him in the eye. "Liar. You like her."
"Do not." He crossed his arms in front of him.
Ginny grinned, deciding to taunt him. It was payback for sneaking on Draco's computer. "Yes, Harry, I think you do. But you wont admit it, because as much as you'll deny it, you're scared. You're scared out of your mind because she's in Slytherin and she's always in your thoughts. And you can't help it!"
Expecting him to argue back or throw a tantrum, Ginny braced herself. She was unprepared when he hung his head, frowning.
"You're absolutely right, Ginny. Bloody hell…"
-
When Draco finally woke up, it was dark outside already. He felt groggy and malnourished, and couldn't quite place why he was in the main cabin on a mattress rather than in his own cabin with stupid Harry in the bed across the room.
Despite the darkness, he saw two figures sitting at a table by the far wall of the cabin. One was stirring tea, and the other one was sitting on the edge of their seat. The area around the table was lit by a single candle in the center, dripping slowly down the sides in random asymmetrical patterns.
Straining to hear their hushed voices, Draco tried his best to stay still and not draw attention to himself. Whatever they were talking about sounded very important, and not intended for students' ears.
The night was very still, and their voices seemed to float right over to Draco's bed.
"This camp we are in is safer than Hogwarts even, there is no way he can get in."
"That's what everyone thought about Hogwarts and he never ceased to find a way in before…"
"No, the barriers around this camp are the strongest I've ever made. The only possible way to penetrate them is if someone inside were to assist him in. And which of these students would do that, honestly?"
"Well, I guess you're right. I suppose I'm just worried, because he's so close and this training is really for nothing, but to make these students stronger."
Draco gasped, and saw one of the figures shift positions, giving Draco a quizzical glance.
"You don't suppose we woke him up, do you?"
He tried to lay as still as possible, while they waited a full minute to continue with their conversation, sure Draco was still asleep.
"She wasn't safe at Hogwarts, Minerva. He knows we've moved her out here, but now with the death of the boy's father, he's going to be all the more anxious to get his hands on her. I'm just glad we decided to take her, in case something like this would happen."
"We are very fortunate for that decision, I agree. Rather peculiar, isn't it? Who would of thought such romance would spark between two of the least likely students."
Somehow Draco knew that McGonagall was talking about him and Ginny. He leaned forward slightly, very anxious to hear what Dumbledore said in reply.
"Actually, I'm not surprised at all. It's the Fire and Ice prophecy, and you can bet my favorite earmuffs that Voldemort is furious."
Draco laid back on his bed, soaking up all the information he'd just overheard. It came as quite a shock, and he needed a while t figure out just what was going on.
After nearly and hour of thinking, he decided not to tell Ginny what he'd heard. At least not yet. He needn't be scaring the wits out of her.
-
Draco was feeling well enough to join the others for lunch.
Ginny, Harry, and Blaise were already sitting outside on a small blanket, eating some sort of sandwiches. He plopped down next to Ginny, eagerly taking the wrapped sandwich she offered him.
"I saved one for you, I figured you'd be starving."
Draco grinned, and glanced sideways at Harry for a moment. He wanted to kiss Ginny in thanks but he wasn't sure it was such a good idea.
However, the raven-haired boy seemed to know what Draco was doing, and gave him a quick approving nod.
Surprised, Draco brushed his lips gently against Ginny's. "Thank you," he whispered, suddenly aching to tell her everything he'd found out the previous night.
She didn't seem to notice his sudden pained expression, and grinned. "You'll never guess what this afternoon's task is," she said eagerly.
He looked to everyone else, seeing a rather large smile on Harry's face and a very well hidden look of fright on Blaise's. Ginny's smile was ear to ear.
"Oh, I don't know…" Draco trailed off, not in the mood to guess.
She pulled a broom out from behind her back, pushing it into Draco arms. "Flying!"
She stumbled backwards, not expecting the broom to be shoved at him. "Oof!"
She giggled. "We're practicing dodging spells while in the air. You're going to be my partner."
For the first time since Draco returned, Blaise suddenly spoke up. "What!? Ginny, I thought you and I would be partners today! She cast a wary look at Harry, clearly not wanting to fly on a broom with him.
Ginny shook her head, a sly smile playing on her lips. Draco looked to Harry, who sat back casually, trying not to blush. What's going on, Draco thought.
"Blaise, Harry and Draco are the best flyers in the school. We need to split up or they will definitely beat us."
The boys grinned at the compliment. Harry, turning his attention toward Blaise, painfully decided to strike up a bargain, even though it was the opposite of what he wanted. "If you don't want to fly with me, we can take shifts and go one at a time."
He frowned a bit, expecting her to automatically agree. However, she blushed instead. "I… I can't fly."
Ginny looked at her incredulously. "You can't?"
Shaking her head, she spoke with embarrassment hanging on her words. "I was sick when we learned in first year, and I've never had an opportunity since then."
Draco pitied her. Never been on a broom?
Face softening, Harry scooted a bit closer to her. "Well, I can show you how, if you'd like. If you don't mind being my partner."
Blaise scowled, before finally agreeing to fly with Harry.
Their behavior puzzled Draco. Harry was being sickeningly nice, while Blaise was being a big brat. He gave up on trying to figure it out however, because Ginny was pulling him to his feet.
"So all we are supposed to do is disarm each other, while up in the air. And we're not supposed to fly that high off the ground while the other group is trying to hit us. They don't want any nasty falls." Ginny rambled on, explaining all aspects of the day's task.
Seeing Harry calmly trying to coax Blaise onto the broom, he looked to Ginny. "It might take them a minute to get situated. Want to go for a quick ride?"
Her eyes lit up. "Sure!"
The couple mounted the broom together, and Draco kicked off. They were about twenty feet above the ground, with Draco gracefully steering with one hand, the other wrapped around Ginny's waist in front of him. He was leaning with his head over her shoulder to be able to grip the handle.
"You know, I've never had my own broom before. My brother Fred used to let me borrow his sometimes, but usually he would just let me ride with him." Ginny was nearly shouting, to be heard over the drum of the wind around them.
"Remind me to buy you one when we get home. Do you want to steer?"
Ginny rolled her eyes. "You don't have to buy me a broom, Draco."
He then took his hand off the front of the broom, causing it to dip dangerously. She grabbed the handle with both hands in alarm. "But I want to." He said calmly, wrapping his free hand around her waist as well.
She turned to give him a warning look, for taking his hands away, but then returned to steering. He knew she wanted to do it, and just held on to her middle tighter.
She caused to the broom to go a little lower, as she was nervous about being up so high. She flew straight for a bit, then jerked the handle to the right, turning completely around and flying onward again. Draco was surprised, not many people were good at turning so sharply.
"I'm impressed," he complimented her, kissing the side of her cheek.
"Not now Draco, that's distracting." She scolded him, causing the blonde haired boy to laugh.
"Oi! Ginny! Come a bit lower!" Harry called out from beneath them. He and Blaise were situated on their own broom, in the same sort of fashion Ginny and Draco were. Harry was tightly gripping the broom in front of Blaise, with an arm shyly holding her stomach. Blaise had a look on her face that was a combination of confusion and fright. She didn't look happy.
The two groups faced each other, hovering about six feet off the ground. "Ready, Potter?" Draco asked, almost as if they were about to start a game of Quidditch.
"Only if you're ready to lose, Malfoy." Harry spat back. However, Ginny noted, their voices were almost teasing, not angry and spiteful like she was used to. She was glad, hoping maybe Draco and Harry could even learn to get along.
Draco took the handle again, and Ginny gladly let him. This was getting too intense between the boys, and she was happy to just sit back and enjoy the ride.
They counted to three, and immediately Draco turned and backed up a bit, anticipating the "Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted right after three was said. They missed the spell by mere inches, and flew higher.
"Nice try Harry! But you have to be quicker!" Ginny shouted gleefully. She momentarily thanked herself for going out with a Quidditch player.
They shot various spells at each other for nearly a half hour, neither group ever hitting the other. Harry and Draco were extremely good flyers, and Ginny realized this task could go on for a long time. But there were a lot of other groups still in the air, and besides, she was having fun.
Another thing Ginny had noticed was that she'd seen Blaise smile. Actually smile, as though she were enjoying herself as well. And she could have sworn she'd seen Harry grip on the girl tighten, and Blaise didn't seem to mind as much as she had before.
She was lost in thought, and Draco was executing a very un-needed flip to show off, when the light of the spell hit them, snatching their wands away and sending them downwards in a spiral.
Quickly thinking, Draco pulled the handle up before they hit the ground, but they still skidded for a moment before they heard the whoops of triumph from Harry and Blaise, touching down beside them.
Blaise handed Ginny and Draco back their wands, her smile lighting up her face.
"You did it Blaise, good job!" Harry exclaimed, giving her a hug without thinking. But they were both too thrilled at winning to notice how awkward it was, and she returned the hug.
Draco muttered under his breath but Ginny smiled. If it took her and Draco losing to make Blaise this happy, she wouldn't mind losing again any day.
"Well, that was fun," Ginny commented, shoving her wand back in her pocket. "What do you say we do now?"
Putting his wand away as well, Draco said, "Drown myself for losing to Potter."
Harry grinned. "Don't waste your time, Malfoy. You lost to Blaise, not me. All I was doing was flying."
They all laughed and started walking their brooms back to the main cabin.
Suddenly Blaise piped up, "Hey Ginny, isn't this your necklace?"
She turned to where her friend was crouched on the ground, looking at a glinting piece of metal. Sure enough, it was, the snowflake entwined with the flame.
"That's odd, I wonder how it got there," said Ginny, clasping it back around her neck.
Draco shrugged. "You must have lost it when we fell to the ground."
She thought for a moment. "Yeah, I must have."
~*~
A/N: Well, there is your long chapter, all 10 pages of it. ^_^ I finally figure out how to do that whole bold and italics thing on FFN, so in celebration of that, I am doing individual thanks!
Silver Essence You should be happy I posted this before I left! Was Harry naughty enough for you?
XxLiLdR3aMeRxX Haha, thanks for the humorous long review. Draco saying fuzzy IS funny!
goobersprinkle nah, you didn't sound mean
fb90 thanks for the review!
frananddragon yeah, that would have been a good idea t stretch it out and thanks, I thought the sphinx idea was good too!
KeeperoftheMoon thanks!
Caz Glad you're so full of questions, some of those you can just use your imagination for!
Lil'Devil Glad you like the pairing and that my story made you laugh so much!
Luinthoron Your welcome! Yeah…poor sphinx is right.
Tyleet soon enough for you?
Katrina Wellson I agree, girl talk COULD bore anyone! Thanks!
Exmerelda hopefully thing will get better for Colin, eh? Glad you still enjoy my fic!
DarkestMaeve what in the world? A bloo furby?
Little-kat-girl glad you like it.
RAmethyst hehe, glad you liked it, hope this got out fast enough for you!
Serizze I'm glad so many of lines were funny! You had better finish ACOE soon…
kneh13 That's a very different take on the situation, glad you thought it was original
Twinsofthesky I never though of it that way. I don't think I'd want to snog an alligator. I liked your crazy comments on the chapter.
Silent Squeak Adrian I love this- "just like a dream only harry potter is a freaking clutz and falls to the ground when kissed."
Twisted Silver Dagger Thanks for the long reviews and great comments on the stories! Good questions, by the way!
GothicAngel Yay! My story is awesome! Thanks!
Mariel Here is the next chapter already, so you cant quit running around and screaming. That is, unless you enjoy it?
Keep reviewing and I'll keep writing! ^_^